Anti-browning Effect of Acorn (Quercus ithaburensis) Cupule Extract on Fresh-Cut Potatoes

Abstract

Quercus ithaburensis subsp. macrolepis cupules extract was utilized to investigate its effect on preventing browning in potatoes. Potato samples were immersed in three different solutions: distilled water (WP), Quercus extract (QP), and citric acid (CP) solution (10 mM). The colour parameters, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activities, malondialdehyde, and hydrogen peroxide content, and ABTS radical scavenging activity of immersed potato samples were measured on days 0, 1, 2, 5, and 7. The a* values of the treatment groups were significantly (p < 0.001) affected by the storage time. The redness of the samples significantly increased over time in treatments WP, QP, and CP. A significant (p < 0.05) correlation was found between Delta a* value and BI. The polyphenol oxidase activity of WP and QP groups significantly increased on day 2, and the change in the QP group was different from the other groups. At the beginning of storage and during the subsequent two-day storage period the QP group had a lower hydrogen peroxide level than the other treatments. The malondialdehyde value of the QP group was not different from the CP group on days 0, 1, and 2.